Remembering a Friend
by LDEJRuff
Summary: After an irresponsible event that involves one of the Griffin family members, and a serious talk, that member decides to leave home until the mistake has been realized. After a month passes, the Griffins decide to pull themselves together, and find someone to adopt into the family. And you won't believe how the fanfic will end...
1. Chapter 1

_Remembering a Friend_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 1 - Confronting Justin

* * *

It was the start of another afternoon at the Griffin house. Stewie was busy working on his computer when Brian came in.

"Hey, Stewie," Brian said. "Whatcha doin'?"

Stewie answered, "I'm getting information on the car that ran over you months ago. The car is an unmarked Benz, colored grey, semi-opaque windshield. However, I think I might know of one person who ran you over."

"You," Brian began, "You're tracking down my attempted killer? That's great! If I know who did it, I'll give that person a piece of my mind."

"I'm sure you will, B-rye."

Stewie clicked on a few buttons on his keyboard, pressed enter, and was shocked to find out who drove the car.

"Oh, my god!" he said. "It can't be!"

"_That's_ the person who almost killed me?" Brian said, also surprised. He then growled and ran out of Stewie's room when Vinny walked in. He was confused.

"What's the matter with Brian?" he asked.

"Oh, he just found out who caused that unthinkable event that almost cost him his life," Stewie answered.

"Almost cost him his life?" Vinny replied, shocked. "What happened? He almost died?"

Stewie nodded. "I never should have told you this, Vinny. Brian and I have kept this a secret for several months. After he was nearly killed, I rushed him to my room and uploaded his spirit into a robotic body that resembled his own. Well, now that the event has been averted, the robot body is still in my laboratory. The Brian you first met was a robot, and the Brian who bought you at the pet shop last Christmas is the Brian you know today, flesh, bone, and fur."

Vinny was at a loss for words, and his jaw dropped. "Oh, my god," he said. "Brian was a robot? I can't believe it."

"Believe it, Vinny," Stewie said, placing a hand on his paw. "It's true."

"Well," Vinny began, "how'd Brian get back to bein' a real dog?"

"Time travel," Stewie answered. "Brian and I were at the mall, three days before Christmas, right before he bought you. We were in the toy store and spotted another Stewie from the past. That was me, Vinny. I went forward in time to buy a toy that wasn't yet released. After Brian and I explained everything to the other Stewie, he went back to his own time and put away the time machine, thus causing the near-murder to never happen."

"Oh," Vinny said, placing a paw on his head. "My head is spinnin'."

"Yes, I know it's confusing to you," Stewie said. "Can you keep this a secret?"

"Of course," Vinny answered. "Friends can keep secrets, especially dogs. Who else knows about this?"

"New Brian," Stewie replied. "He hasn't told Jasper about this, so _he's_ keeping it a secret as well."

"So," Vinny began, "who's the shmuck that nearly killed Brian?"

Stewie pointed at his computer screen, and what Vinny saw made his jaw drop again.

"Oh, my gosh," Vinny said. "We have to stop Brian!"

* * *

Elsewhere, before he was ready to prepare for his concert, Canadian-born pop star Justin Bieber heard a knock on his dressing room door.

"Probably one of my fans wanting an autograph," Justin wondered while walking to the door.

He opened the door and saw a very angry Brian.

"An angry dog?" Justin said, surprised. "What's your problem?"

"What's my problem?" Brian repeated. _"You're_ my problem!"

"What'd I do to _you,_ doggy?" asked Justin.

Brian answered, "The name is Brian Griffin, and I'm totally pissed! You know why? You ran me over with your car, and almost killed me!"

"What are you talking about?" Justin asked.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about, Bieber!" Brian pointed, menacingly. "November 24, 2013. That was the day my life almost came to a tragic end, by your car!"

"Calm down, doggy," Justin said, backing away. "I'd never hurt anyone on purpose!"

"Brian!" Vinny called.

This got his attention as Vinny came into the dressing room.

"You stay out of this, Vinny," Brian replied. "This is between me and Justin!"

"But Brian," Vinny began, "confrontin' a celeb ain't the answer."

"You don't know what he did to me!" Brian shouted.

"Yes, I _do,"_ Vinny said. "Stewie told me everything: The car he drove, you becomin' a robot, everything."

Brian calmed down a little.

"Wait," he said. "Stewie told you everything?"

"Yes, Brian," Stewie answered, coming into the room. He turned his attention to Justin, saying, "You'll have to excuse the three of us, Mr. Bieber. There's a little issue to discuss."

"Okay, kid," Justin said, shrugging. "If I were you, I'd keep that dog of yours under control."

With that, Brian, Stewie and Vinny walked out of the room and closed the door.

"Brian, what were you thinking, confronting Justin Bieber like that?" Stewie said.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Brian said. "I think I might have some time to think about this."

"Indeed, you shall," Stewie said, "During the serious family discussion."

"Family discussion?" Brian repeated, shocked.


	2. Chapter 2

_Remembering a Friend_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 2 - The Discussion and Brian's Decision

* * *

Later that night, back at the Griffin house, the family had a serious talk with Brian in the living room.

"I just can't believe this, Brian," Lois said. "What you did today was the most stupidest thing I have ever heard. I mean, confronting a celebrity, Brian? I haven't seen you do that since the night James Woods invited us to dinner so he could apologize for wronging us."

"We all know what happened that night, Lois," Brian replied. "Well, _most_ of us, actually. Vinny doesn't know about it, so I'll probably just say it. Dianne Simmons stabbed James in the back, literally, thus removing one of my problems."

What Brian just said reminded Peter that James was later brought back to life by scientists due to him being a celebrity. He saw James in Hollywood when he tried to get Tom Tucker back into acting for films. However, he didn't have the heart to tell the family about it since.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Lois said, sarcastically. "But we had no idea you almost died once, Brian. What'd you do, get out of the way before Justin's car would run over you?"

Brian froze. He had to keep Stewie's secret about how Brian became a robot that day. So he did the only thing he possibly could to keep the secret.

"Yes, Lois," he lied. "I got out of the way. Justin's car would explain the destroyed hockey equipment we brought home earlier that day."

"Well," Lois began, "that still doesn't mean you have to face your attempted killer like that, Brian. It would have been an accident. If you hadn't gotten out of the way, we would've been heartbroken, gotten a different dog like Vinny, and moved on. But what you did today was irresponsible, Brian. I'm sorry for saying this, but you've left me no other choice. You're an idiot."

With that, she, Peter, Meg and Chris left the room. Stewie and Vinny stayed with Brian, who hung his head in disgrace, on the couch. However, Stewie laid his left hand on Brian's paw, smiling.

"Brian," he began, "thanks for keeping our secret. I know it was tough for you to lie to her, though."

"You're welcome," Brian replied. "But I have feelings, Stewie. And Lois hurt them when she called me an idiot."

"But you ain't an idiot to _us,"_ Vinny assured. "You're still our friend, no matter what happens."

* * *

The next morning, Vinny awoke to the sound of Brian crying outside. He walked out of the house through the kitchen door and saw his friend crying on the lawn.

"Brian?" he said. "What's the matter? What's with the water works?"

"Oh," Brian said, drying his eyes, voice shaking, "I was just thinking about what Lois said last night."

"Still shaken up about her calling you an idiot, huh?" Vinny said. "I know how bad that feels."

"You do?"

"Yeah," he continued. "I sure wish I'd known a lot more about you, _before_ you became a robot."

"Well, Vinny," Brian began, "when I almost died that day, I got a glimpse of where I was going, and I didn't like it one bit. You see, before my becoming a robot, I was a flat-out atheist. I didn't believe in Christianity or _any_ religion for that matter. I once thought that religion was for idiots, like Lois called me last night. Since my near-death experience, I started reading the Bible, and learned a whole lot of the world's history: how it was created, what happened after those seven days, how Jesus died for our sins, everything."

A second of silence. Afterwards, Vinny spoke, "It's okay, Brian. I once had a friend who used to think religion was idiotic, too. I prayed for her a lot, even after she finally accepted Jesus as her Savior. She then became a preacher at a church not too far away from here."

"Really?" Brian said.

"Yeah," Vinny replied.

"Well, I'm still pretty sad about what Lois said to me last night," Brian said. "And that's why I've decided to leave home."

"You're leaving?" Vinny repeated. "For how long?"

"I dunno, Vinny," Brian said. "But I promise to be back one day after I realize my mistake."

With that, Brian gave Vinny a hug and shed some tears.

"You take care of the Griffins for me, and treat them like their your own family, until I return. Think about me every day, even when you pray every night, before you go to sleep. And most importantly, remember me."

"You got it, Brian," Vinny replied.

Brian then let go of Vinny, got inside his Prius, and drove off into the sunrise. Vinny looked on as the car drove away.

"Good luck, Brian," Vinny continued.


	3. Chapter 3

_Remembering a Friend_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 3 - Recovering, and Finding a New Dog

* * *

One month had passed since Brian left, and it was morning in the Griffin house. The six remaining family members were having breakfast. And, as always, Vinny had cooked for the family. He was about to serve a plate at an empty spot.

"Oh, crap," he said, frowning. "I almost served Brian again."

"I wish I wasn't so hard on him," Lois said, looking down on her plate. "I can't believe it's been a month since he left us."

"Well," Stewie sighed, "at least we can still keep the doggie door for Vinny."

"You know," Lois began, "I hate to say it, but I'm starting to think we should get a new dog until he returns. And I'm starting to miss him, even though he isn't dead. I know it might take time to find the right dog, but we'll see what we can do with _three_ dogs in the family. If Brian approves of this when he returns, _if_ he returns, then that dog is welcome in the family."

"Are you sure this is the best way for us?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, Dad," Meg answered.

"That would be nice," Chris added.

"All right," Peter sighed. "Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to look."

"Three dogs, huh?" Stewie said, shrugging. "Well, it's not all bad. After all, it beats temporarily being a family of six again and watching those depressing documentaries."

**Cutaway:** A title card shows up.

"And now, PBS presents: _Albino Children are Normal_," the announcer read.

We cut to the host interviewing an albino child.

"So," the host began, "With the exception of not being able to go out into the sun, you're completely normal?"

"Yes," the child answered. "The moon is my sun. I like to kill beetles. Beetles are teachers. I sleep with a fork."

* * *

The Griffins drove all the way to the Quahog Pet Shop where Brian bought Vinny. After they went inside, Lois said, "All right, guys. Time to find a dog and a new friend for Vinny."

As she, Peter, Meg and Vinny walked all the way to the dog section, Stewie looked up at his brother and said, "Hey, Chris, you're kind of a creep. Why don't you get a ferret?"

"Oh, you're right," Chris replied, "and I will."

Peter, Lois and Vinny looked at the dog cages, trying to find the right one.

"Vinny, I think you can choose between all these dogs better than _I_ can," Lois said. "Why don't _you_ choose?"

Vinny looked at the cage he was in before Brian bought him and saw an anthropomorphic Scottish Terrier with dark gray fur.

"Hey," the Scottish Terrier said with a male American accent. "I hear your family's looking for a dog."

"Indeed," Vinny agreed. "I'm Vinny. It's short for Vincenzo."

"Pleased to meet you, Vinny," the Scottish Terrier replied. "I'm Scott."

"And you're named that because you're a Scottish Terrier?" Vinny asked.

"Well," Scott began, "I'm only one-sixteenth Scottish. I've been trained to fetch, roll over, and make a family of humans feel good about themselves. So, what do you say, Vinny? Does your family have enough room for me?"

Vinny looked at his family for a second, then turned back to Scott and answered, "Yeah, I think so."

With that, Vinny opened the cage. Scott followed him to his family.

"Everyone," Vinny began, "this is Scott. He's a Scottish Terrier, and he's the perfect fit."

"Oh, a Scottish Terrier," Stewie said. "Maybe he can teach me to play golf or something."


	4. Chapter 4

_Remembering a Friend_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 4 - Picture of Brian, and the Story of Angus

* * *

The Griffins brought Scott home that night, and had given him a new blue collar with a gold tag. It was engraved with his name and the Griffins' home address. When Peter brought Scott into the living room, the first thing in it he saw was the couch.

"Well, Scott," Peter began, "welcome to your new home."

"Oh, my goodness," Scott said. "You have a nice couch. Purple, my favorite color."

"Glad you like it, Scott," Peter said.

"Besides yours truly, Lois is a good cook," Vinny said, coming into the living room.

"I agree," Lois added, coming into the living room. "You must be hungry. I'll make you some dinner."

"Oh, that's nice," Scott replied. "All that coming from a hard worker like you, Mrs. Griffin."

"Please, call me Lois," Lois said. "You're part of the family now."

"But you promised we'd cook Play-Doh food tonight," Stewie whined.

"What's with the baby?" asked Scott.

Vinny replied, "You'll have to excuse Stewie, Scott. He doesn't like it when things don't go his way."

"Well," Scott began, "maybe we'll make things for the better sometime."

"Grazie," Vinny agreed.

Scott then looked at both Meg and Chris.

"Well, Meg and Chris," Scott began, "I can't tell which hat of yours I like better. They're both good."

Both siblings gasped, looking at each other, and smiling

"Wow, Scott, look at you," Peter said to his new dog. "It's like you're already part of the family."

"Yeah," Vinny agreed. "The two of us is gonna get along just fine."

Suddenly, Scott noticed a picture frame on the coffee table.

"Hey, who's the white dog in the picture?" he asked, pointing at the frame. "He looks like a good buddy."

Vinny looked in that direction. It was a picture of himself and Brian. It was taken on Christmas day, around the time Vinny was purchased. Vinny sighed, remembering that time.

"Scott," Vinny began, "that's the dog who took me into the Griffin house on Christmas. His name is Brian."

"Brian, huh?" Scott said. "What happened to him?"

Vinny sighed and answered, "He left a month ago, before we brought you into the family."

"Oh," Scott said. "I know how it feels when a loved one goes away for a certain amount of time. It kinda reminds me of what happened to my previous owner, Angus."

"Angus?" Vinny repeated. "That sounds like a Scottish name."

"It _is_," Scott agreed. "Angus and I lived in a small cottage nearby Quahog, and we were close friends. He was like the whole world to me. Then, one day, everything changed."

"So," Vinny began, "what happened to him?"

Scott answered, "He was called away to help solve a crisis, and he left me alone. He never came back."

"Really?" Vinny said, widening his eyes.

"Yes," Scott said. "I reported him missing, but no sign of him was found. Anyway, I guess he was kinda like _my_ Brian."

"Did you get over him?" Vinny asked.

"Mmm-hmm," Scott nodded. "That's why I met you guys at the pet shop. When you were looking for another dog, I sensed you were all going through the same feelings like _I_ did. And I thought that I was meant to find you guys. Maybe we were meant to be together."

"Well, Scott," Vinny began, "that's true, and I'm glad to have met a friend like you."

Scott chuckled. "Come here, Vinny," he said, offering him a hug.

With that, Vinny gave Scott a heartwarming hug.

"Anyway," Scott began as Vinny let go, "I sure do hope Brian returns. I really want to meet him."

"Yeah," Vinny replied. "He'll be glad to have you in the family. I just wish he'd get back soon."

"Me, too," Scott agreed.

"In the meantime," Vinny began, "You wanna see some cool stories to catch up on? We have most of 'em on DVD."

"Oh, wow!" Scott said, amazed. "Are the DVDs in Volumes?"

"Mmm-hmm," Vinny nodded. "We can share these stories with Stewie someday."


	5. Chapter 5

_Remembering a Friend_

by LDEJRuff

Chapter 5 - A Happy Reunion?

* * *

The next day, Vinny showed Scott around the neighborhood. He first took Scott to Cleveland Brown's house, and Scott had made friends with Cleveland and his wife, Donna, his son, Cleveland, Jr., and his step-children, Roberta and Rollo. Vinny then took Scott to the Swanson house, and Scott had made friends with Joe, Bonnie, Kevin and Susie. Then, Vinny took Scott to meet Peter's other next-door neighbor, Glenn Quagmire. There, Scott had not only made friends with Glenn, but he also learned some tips from him on how to get women.

"Wow, Vinny," Scott said. "Thanks for taking me to meet the neighbors. They're really swell."

"Glad you like 'em, Scott," Vinny replied. "Wait'll I show you the rest of the friends the Griffins have made."

"I sure hope they're more fun than that cat I befriended," Scott said.

**Cutaway:** We see Scott next to a Calico cat.

"Gee, Cal," Scott said. "It sure is nice that we can be friends and all."

"Well, Scott," Cal replied, "there are some things I can do to improve our friendship, and some things I can't."

"Really?" Scott said. "What kind of things?"

"I'll show you sometime."

* * *

Later that night, while Scott was sleeping in the living room, and Stewie and Vinny were sleeping in the former's bedroom, they heard a sound coming into the driveway. They looked out the specific windows and saw a familiar silver-colored vehicle on the driveway. And who they saw coming out of the driver's side door made them gasp in surprise, smiling.

"Oh, my god," Stewie said. "He's back!"

"I can't believe it," Vinny added. "He's finally home!"

"All right," Scott said. "At last, I get the chance to meet him!"

Stewie and Vinny had informed the rest of the family about what they saw, and the six ran down the stairs to the living room where Scott was. The door opened to show that Brian had returned. However, there was something different about him: his fur was scruffy, he had grown a goatee, and he didn't have his collar on. That didn't matter to the family, though. Vinny had rushed to Brian, giving him a hug.

"Welcome home, Brian!" he said.

Brian, however, was confused.

"I'm sorry," he replied, "do I know you?"

"Do you _know_ me?" Vinny repeated. "Are you kidding? Of course, you know me. It's me, Vinny, your friend."

"Vinny?" Brian repeated. "Sorry, that doesn't ring a bell."

"Huh?" Vinny asked. "What's going on here?"

"Brian doesn't remember Vinny?" Peter added.

"Uh, guys?" Scott began. "I think we have a problem."

Brian had scratched his head, wondering, "Who _are_ you guys?"

* * *

To Be Continued...


End file.
